Three Weeks Later
by HonestPuck
Summary: Post season 2. KateJack, TonyMichelle. Mostly romantic fluff. I had fun. Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Ok, here's my first attempt at posting any of my work. It's not beta-ed, so please forgive any mistakes that you catch. I wrote this after watching season 2 and thought I would finish it up for fun. If you like the 1st chapter, let me know. I have more waiting. RR.  
  
Three Weeks Later  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Three weeks. It had been three weeks since Michelle had decided to act against her normal dating policy and ask Tony out. After all, she hadn't known at the time that CTU would find the nuke in time. She figured that if she had to die, why not make the first move?*If you want to have dinner sometime_* god, she had been stupid. Three weeks later and Tony had never once mentioned their conversation or the kiss. *Mmmm, the kiss. That man is like magic.* Michelle sat on her couch, thinking backwards to that excruciatingly long day. So many people had lost their lives, not only in the bombing at CTU, but during the whole course of the day. She closed her eyes and breathed in the breeze that was flirting with the lavender curtains in her living room windows. Rearranging herself so she was reclining on the sofa, her head leaning over the arm, she reveled in the breeze and the soft sounds of the radio playing in the background. Before she knew it, she was asleep.  
  
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Tony was still at his desk. He knew Michelle deserved an answer, that she had summoned up every ounce of willpower she possessed to ask him out. He also knew that she believed him when he told her wasn't sorry about the kiss. *Hell, I wasn't at the time. She is one amazing woman_but I knew that long before her lips touched mine.* Tony smirked silently, but became somber again as he realized that he now had a snowball's chance in hell of ever getting close to her. He leaned his head back against his desk chair and closed his eyes, remembering her scent, the taste of her lips, the fear in her eyes. *My god, I only made things worse_I only hurt her more. Selfish bastard that I am, I was only trying to protect myself. What am I saying!? Michelle is ten times the woman Nina ever was. And then some. I'm such an idiot.* He stood and gathered the files he had been looking over. He had taken to staying late; partially to avoid Michelle, partially to keep him from thinking about Michelle. The work he stayed to finish was, more often then not, menial things that normally would have taken him less than half of the time he ended up spending on them. His goal to avoid Michelle Dessler had worked near perfectly, but he couldn't get her out of his head. No matter how many times he vowed that he would not think about her, she would invade his thoughts, sending him scrambling to find equilibrium. She didn't have to be within several miles to severely interrupt whatever he was working on. And she did so very often.  
  
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Kim Bauer had noticed the way Michelle looked at Tony. Before she had spent ten minutes in the building, she could tell. Michelle was already well on the way to falling in love with her boss. It had been an awful day for Kim, considering she had just been told that her father was dying and then that he hadn't died after all in just a few short hours; Kim was shocked that she remembered the exact look on Michelle's face when she had looked at Tony that morning. Kim smiled at her father across the small living room of Jack's apartment. They were finally getting around to unpacking the boxes of pictures and family treasures that Jack had simply left strewn about his apartment. The doctors had made Jack promise to take it easy. In fact, they only allowed him out of the hospital after a mere week's stay when they learned that not only would Kim be living with him, but Kate Warner had promised to stop by very often and keep an eye on him. "It's the least I can do after you saved my life" Kate had told Jack when he had protested. *Pitched a fit is more like it,* Kim smirked.   
  
"What's so funny?" Jack looked inquisitively at his daughter.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Uh uh, don't give me that, Kimberly, what were you thinking about that made you laugh?"  
  
Kim looked her father in the eye. "Dad, how much do you like Kate?"  
  
Her question caught Jack off guard. He took a deep breath and answered her question with one of his own while pretending to busy himself with the contents of the box directly in front of him, "Why? Don't you like her?"  
  
Kim smirked. She knew her dad well enough to know when he was avoiding a topic_and that was definitely what he was attempting to do at the moment. "I asked you a question, dad."  
  
Jack smiled at Kim. She reminded him a lot of Terri right now, trying to keep him on a subject she knew that he was trying deliberately to avoid. His blue eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled and answered slowly, "yes, I like her."  
  
"Enough to ask her out?"  
  
"Kim!"  
  
"Dad!" Jack looked at her and cocked his head to one side, as if appraising her before a confrontation. "Dad," Kim continued, "I know you like her. I just want you to know that I do too. If you like her enough to date her, then do. It's been a long time since mom died and I know I've made things tough on you. I really want you to be happy."  
  
Father and daughter sat in silence for a minute. Then Jack nodded as he said "thanks, honey. I'm glad you feel that way."  
  
The doorbell rang at that moment and Kim kissed her dad on the forehead as she rose to answer it. "No prob Daddy." She opened the door to an increasingly familiar face.  
  
"Hi Kim!" Kate breezed past and into the kitchen with bags of groceries. "I thought I'd make you guys some dinner tonight, that okay?" Kim just nodded and helped put groceries away. She heard her dad walk into the kitchen.  
  
"Hey Kate." He smiled at her.  
  
A smile played around the edges of Kim's mouth. She knew the look on Kate's face instantly. It was the same look Michelle Dessler wore every time she so much as glanced at Tony Almeida.   
  
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	2. Chapter 2

Three Weeks Later  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Michelle awoke a few hours later to a darkened room. The radio still sounded softly in the background, but everything else was dark and depressing. She reached over and flicked on a table lamp next to the sofa and began, once again, to think about Tony and that regretful day three weeks earlier.   
  
She had taken Nina's place in a strictly career manner of speaking. Not that she hadn't wished to take her place in other matters as well, Tony just seemed so far out of her reach. Never in a million years did she want to get involved with Jack Bauer...but Tony was a completely different matter. The day was awful. Threats and accusations from within as well as without. Then having to work with Carrie. What hurt the most was when Tony came after her for helping Jack. She knew, they all knew now, that she had been right to help him. If not, the US would be at war with three countries and the real terrorists would have accomplished their goal. Michelle sighed to herself. Tony had been downright cruel, even after he decided to help Jack out a little bit. Brushing at the lone tear that was coursing down her cheek, Michelle remembered how she had tried to apologize. *"What do you want from me, Michelle?"* If only he knew how much she had wanted to pour her heart and soul out right then. How desperately she wanted him to understand that she was just trying to do what was right and how that shouldn't affect the conversation they had had earlier. But she knew it did. Tony was still her boss and, even though, no, especially since she cared for him, he had to treat her the same way he would have treated another employee of CTU. Instead of laying her heart out on the table, she opted for "I'm sorry." Tony brushed her off, leaving her with a deeper wound than if she had actually handed him her heart and he refused it.  
  
Michelle shook herself from her thoughts and headed for the kitchen. *You threw yourself at him, Michelle. He was just trying to comfort you and you came within seconds of sticking your tongue down his throat. Smooth move.* Sure, Tony had said he wasn't sorry about the kiss, but he could have just been trying to put her at ease. *Oh my gosh, I feel like such a slut. What kind of woman kisses her boss at work? I'll bet he thinks I'm too easy for him. Way to go, Michelle.* Pushing off the feel of his taut shoulders and thick hair under her hands and the taste of his lips on hers, Michelle reached into the cupboard under the sink and pulled out a bottle of Jose Cuervo. After finding a shot glass, she made her way back to the sofa. Turning on the TV, she poured herself a shot and slammed it. Before she could even reach the bottle to pour a second, her phone rang.  
  
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Tony was exhausted when he reached home that night. He knew he should have stopped by to check on Jack, but he was ready to crawl right into bed. His stomach rumbled and he decided he needed to eat since he couldn't remember whether or not he had eaten breakfast or lunch that day. Realizing his kitchen was completely devoid of food, he decided to call ahead and pick up a pizza at the local pizza parlor. He knew it would be packed full of college students, but if he picked it up and took it home, he should be able to avoid the huge crowds. After calling in his order, he grabbed his wallet and keys from the side table where he had tossed them upon entering the house and walked out the door. As he turned the key in the ignition of his Chevy Avalanche, he grabbed his cell and searched for a number. When he had the right number, he hit the `call' button. After letting it ring for a few minutes, he hung up.  
  
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Kate and Kim prepared a wonderful dinner for the three of them. After eating, Kim cleared the table and excused herself, saying that she and her friend Nikki were planning on heading out for a while.  
  
"Take my car, Kim." Kate offered kindly.  
  
"Are you sure?" Kim looked incredulous. "It's so nice."  
  
"I'm sure. Have fun." Kate smiled and added "It gives me a chance to stay here until you get home."  
  
Kim grinned. "I'll be late," she laughed as she kissed her dad on the forehead and hugged Kate goodbye.  
  
Kim took the proffered keys and made her way to the black, thirty-five year edition, convertible Camaro that sat in the parking lot of the apartment complex. She started the car and headed across town to pick up her childhood friend Nikki. She and Nikki had been close through Elementary and Middle school. Once the two hit High school, though, their lives drifted apart. During the middle of their sophomore year, Nikki moved to Northern California until a few months before Terri Bauer was killed. After Kim lost her mother, she began to spend more time with Nikki who was raised by her father after losing her mother to surgery complications when Nikki was ten years old. Kim pulled up in front of a two-story house and blew the horn twice. Nikki came through the front door and let out a sharp whistle.  
  
"What a ride! Kim, please tell me you didn't steal it?" Nikki's grin belied the severity of her question.  
  
"of course not, it's Kate's" Kim smiled back at her friend.  
  
"Who's Kate?"  
  
"A woman my dad is seeing," Kim decided not to go into detail about how Kate and her father met and spent their first several hours together.  
  
"Oh." Nikki changed the subject, "so? What are we gonna do on a Friday night in L.A. with a sweet ride like this?"  
  
Kim laughed. "Well, I have another friend who needs help either getting a guy or getting over said guy. I thought she might need some cheering up."  
  
"Fine by me."  
  
"I'd better call her and see if she's up to it," Kim reached for her cell.  
  
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	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Please READ AND REVIEW!!! =) Thanks a million!!!  
  
Three Weeks Later  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Michelle picked up her phone. "Hello?"  
  
After a brief silence she heard an answer. "Hi, Michelle? It's Kim Bauer. I though since you've been working so hard, you need to enjoy your night off. My friend Nikki and I are heading out. Do you want to come?"  
  
Michelle hesitated, almost refusing Kim's offer. *But then she reasoned I would be turning down a chance to forget about this whole mess between Tony and me for a while.* "Sure, I'd love to."  
  
"Great!" Kim sounded genuinely happy, so Michelle was sure her dad hadn't put her up to it. "We'll be there in about twenty minutes."  
  
"Okay. `Bye."  
  
"'Bye."  
  
She set the phone down and proceeded to her bedroom. One thing was for sure, she couldn't look like she had just come from the office. She found a pair of tan pants that she had only worn once since she bought them and a turquoise print top with a high waist and long, flowing sleeves. She made sure her hair was in some semblance of order and applied some lip gloss. Then she went back to the living room to remove the tequila and shot glass from sight.  
  
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Kim and Nikki both walked up to Michelle's door. When Michelle answered, Kim was shocked by the transformation. She had only seen Michelle in very professional clothing, but the outfit she had one now worked like magic to make her look radiant. Looking beyond the clothing, though, Kim saw the sadness in Michelle's eyes. It was there constantly, Kim knew, especially when Michelle would stop by to check on Jack on the way home from work. Somehow now it seemed more intense than usual.   
  
Michelle and Kim had become friendly in the weeks following Jack's hospitalization. Michelle stopped by to visit and bring messages from co-workers at CTU. When Kate was there, Michelle was often pressed to stay for dinner and drinks. Kate seemed to be able to bring Michelle out of her doldrums for a while and Kim was inspired to bring her out of them permanently. Namely, by making sure that Tony Almeida finally took the notice of Michelle Kim knew the older woman craved. She knew that that would take time, so, in the meantime, Kim decided to help keep Michelle from getting too depressed.  
  
Michelle, likewise, had been impressed with Jack's daughter. Kim had matured a lot over the past three weeks. She was blossoming into a well-rounded young woman with a will of iron, not unlike her father's. Michelle loved spending time with Jack and Kate and Kim. Not only did it keep her from returning home to an empty house and bed, but it helped keep her focus away from Tony.  
  
The three women piled into Kate's Camaro and took off towards a local college hangout. Michelle felt a little uncomfortable since she was much older than most of the young people who frequented the pizza parlor, but Kim and Nikki reassured her that she would blend in perfectly. Kim switched on the radio and they made their way across town.  
  
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Kate sat facing Jack on the couch. The TV was on but neither one of them was paying attention to what was flashing across the screen. They had spent a few nights like this, just talking and sharing thoughts and feelings. Kate felt much closer to Jack than she had ever dreamt possible a few short weeks ago. They had been sitting in silence for a few moments when Jack reached over and took her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. She looked into his eyes and smiled softly, leaning forward to lightly brush his lips with her own. Jack reached out with his other arm and pulled her closer to him on the sofa. He smiled back at her and reclaimed her lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck, playing with his hair. Jack reached up and cradled her cheek in his palm, softly kissing from her mouth to the collar of her shirt and back. Kate sighed. She had never been so happy. She had never felt so safe as when she was cradled in Jack Bauer's arms.  
  
Jack enjoyed the feeling of Kate in his arms. As he kissed her neck, she placed butterfly kisses on his forehead, along his hairline. He knew he loved her, that he had never felt so strongly about any woman aside from Terri. At the thought of his dead wife, Jack stiffened suddenly. Kate sensed his change in mood and pulled away.  
  
"Jack, are you okay?" Kate was worried. "Is it your heart?" She lay her right palm lightly against his chest.  
  
Jack attempted a smile. "No, my heart is fine."  
  
Kate looked at him and knew. "It's Terri, isn't it?" Jack had finally told Kate about Terri and Nina. Kate knew that he would never forget about either women.  
  
Jack just nodded.  
  
Kate positioned herself so that she was sitting with her head on his shoulder and one arm wrapped around his waist. The other hand rested on Jack's knee. "I'm sorry." She whispered.  
  
Jack kissed her forehead. "It's not your fault."  
  
They sat there for a while, both lost in thought. Jack marveled at how Kate never pushed him away, never gave up when his thoughts of Terri interfered with their intimate times together. Kate, in turn, thought about the man who was holding her. There were times when it was hard to love him, knowing his past and the hurdles he still had until he was able to completely open his heart to her. After all, Nina had betrayed him in the most horrific sense of the word. As she tilted her head to inhale the scent of his cologne, she knew she would never leave. Jack Bauer was just too good to give up on.  
  
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Tony entered the pizza parlor and made his way directly to the counter. After paying for his pizza, the teenage girl behind the counter told him there was still a fifteen minute wait. Searching for a place to sit and wait, he saw Kim Bauer sitting at a table with a dark haired woman with her back to him. Kim saw him and smiled. He made his way over to their table and asked Kim how her dad was doing.  
  
"He's great. He and Kate are enjoying some time together." She smirked.  
  
Tony smiled back, "I'm glad he's doing better."  
  
"Oh, this is my friend Nikki. Nikki, this is Tony Almeida. He works at CTU."  
  
Nikki smiled at Tony, "hi."  
  
"Nice to meet you." Tony looked at the chair across from where he stood. There was a salad and a coke waiting there. "Are you girls here alone?"  
  
Kim gave her friend a seething look and answered quickly, "we're here with Michelle."  
  
At the mention of her name, Tony's eyes went nearly black. "Michelle Dessler?" He had to be sure. The change in his demeanor was not lost on Kim.  
  
"Yah." Kim grinned like everything was normal.   
  
*Well it is to her* Tony reprimanded himself. *Kim doesn't have a clue what you did to Michelle. She probably would have spit on you just now if she did.*  
  
"Well, um, I'd better get going." Tony had almost turned to leave when Michelle walked up. She looked at him and he felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. She looked stunning. But the pain in her eyes did not go unnoticed. "Hi Michelle."   
  
Michelle saw Tony and felt like a knife was being stabbed through her heart again and again. "Tony," she acknowledged.  
  
"Well, I'd better go get my pizza and head home." Tony started to back away. "See you on Monday, Michelle?"  
  
Michelle looked at her plate and nodded.  
  
"'Bye Tony" Kim said  
  
"Yah, `bye. Nice meeting you." Nikki followed suite.  
  
Michelle followed Tony with her eyes until he left the restaurant.  
  
Kim noticed the tension between Michelle and Tony and decided that she had better not try to throw them at one another. There was something between them that only the two of them could work out.  
  
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	4. Chapter 4

Three Weeks Later  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Tony went home and ate less than two slices of his pizza before deciding he wasn't so hungry after all. He would not allow himself to believe that his feelings for Michelle had anything to do with his lack of hunger. He picked up his phone to call her several times, but decided against it.*The look on her face. I must be heartless. Letting my one mistake with Nina dictate how I treat a woman I genuinely care for.* Tony shook his head slowly. Michelle was so different from Nina. Not only was she not a cold, heartless, terrorist, she was kind. She cared about him. *That's why I treated her so horribly. When she started helping Jack behind my back and lying to me about it, I saw Nina.* Tony sat helplessly on the edge of his bed. He knew he wanted Michelle. If he had ever doubted her feelings for him between her asking him out and their kiss, the kiss expelled them all from his mind. She had been so sweet. He could still feel her in his arms and he could still taste her sweetness on his lips. He knew she felt guilty about kissing him and that she probably thought he was angry about it, but he was *too scared to be vulnerable? *His subconscious jumped in. *She'll never understand how I felt when I found out about Nina.* He argued with himself. *She'll never know unless you tell her how you feel, how you felt, about you.* He sighed and stood up, leaving the phone on the bed. He slowly unbuttoned his shirt and slipped out of his pants. Stripping down to his boxers and socks, he climbed into bed. He wondered what he would do with his first whole day off since the Nuclear threat as he switched the lamp next to his bed off. Before he fell asleep, he decided he would call Michelle. He drifted off with the feel of her in his arms firmly imprinted in his brain.  
  
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Michelle had been very quiet from the time Tony had appeared at the pizza parlor until Kim dropped her at her front door. She thanked the girls and went inside. Kim and Nikki headed for the Bauer apartment. Nikki's father was out of town for the weekend and she decided to stay with Jack and Kim rather than by herself in a large house. Kim and Nikki had called before they left Michelle's in order to give Jack and Kate fair warning. No one had answered, so Kim left a message on Jack's answering machine. So they made as much noise as possible on their way up to the front door. Kim inserted her key in the lock and let Nikki in. Nikki rounded the corner into the living area and giggled softly. She motioned for Kim to be quiet and follow her. When Kim saw what Nikki had been laughing about, she smiled too. On the couch were Jack and Kate. Kate was curled up on the couch with her head on Jack's leg and Jack had his arm draped over her, Kate's hand in his, their fingers intertwined. Nikki made her way to Kim's room while Kim slid a pillow underneath her dad's head and kissed him softly on the brow. Turning off the TV, she followed Nikki into her own room.  
  
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Michelle closed the door of her apartment behind her and sank slowly to the floor. She couldn't hold back the tears that had been threatening to come for three weeks and collapsed into a heap, sobbing in the middle of her entryway. She sat crying for several minutes before she pulled herself together enough to walk into her bedroom and crawl into bed. She pulled the covers up over her head and cried herself to sleep, trying to block the images of Tony from her mind.  
  
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	5. Chapter 5

Three Weeks Later  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Jack woke up as the sunlight began to stream through the windows of his apartment. He felt a slight pressure on his leg and wondered briefly how he was still on the couch. Looking down, he saw Kate's head pillowed on his leg and smiled softly. He had never seen her while she was asleep before. Not that she wasn't beautiful while she was awake, she just looked so contented and secure right now.   
  
Kate stirred and was startled by the presence of another person. Opening her eyes, she remembered that she had fallen asleep at Jack's apartment and that she didn't have to go to her father's office today. "Mmm." She smiled and looked up at Jack while trying to sit up. He was looking down at her with such an intense expression on his face, she almost turned away. *He's thinking about Terri again,* she thought wistfully. Her smile faded as she attempted to turn away.  
  
Jack loved Kate. When she had woken up and smiled at him, the force of his feelings came rushing forward like someone had opened a dam. He didn't know why she was turning her head away with that pained expression on her face, but he couldn't let her leave. Quickly, he reached out and pulled her to him, his lips brushing hers tenderly. Kate pulled away surprised and looked at him, questions written all over her face. Jack smoothed her hair away from her face and whispered, "I love you, Kate."  
  
*Oh my gosh! He just told me he loved me! Well, answer him, you idiot!* Kate's mind worked a million miles a minute as thoughts and feelings flew through her soul. She kissed Jack lightly on the lips. "I love you, too." She heard a soft growl in Jack's throat and wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her tightly against him. He reclaimed her lips and began to kiss her with a passion neither had ever experienced before. When they parted for air, his heart beat even harder at the sight of Kate's swollen lips and love-filled eyes. He was just about to suggest they head for a more private room of the house, when they were startled by a slight knock on the hallway, followed by the appearance of Kim and Nikki.  
  
"Good morning Daddy, Kate." Kim grinned at both. Nikki echoed Kim's greeting.  
  
Kate recovered first and smiled at the girls. "What time did you two get home?"  
  
"Oh, about midnight. You two were already asleep, so we decided not to wake you." Nikki smiled back.  
  
After Kim had made a pot of coffee and they had sat around talking while they sipped it, Jack and Kate decided that the four of them would get together for brunch after Kate had gone home to freshen up and Jack and the girls had done the same.  
  
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It was eight o' clock when Michelle awoke to the sound of her cell phone ringing. Blindly searching for it on her nightstand, she made contact with it just as it was vibrating onto the floor. She missed and the noisy phone kept ringing as it hit the floor. Hanging headfirst off of her bed, Michelle kept grabbing for the phone, hitting it under her bed before she actually managed to wrap her fingers around it. Still hanging off of her bed, she flipped open the phone and answered "Dessler." Several seconds passed by and she was about to hang up when she heard a voice on the other end.  
  
"Michelle?"  
  
Her heart began to pound. "Yes. This is Michelle."  
  
"This is Tony." He sounded unsure.  
  
"Is something wrong?" Michelle worried. It had only been three weeks, but the US received threats almost daily.   
  
"No, well, not at CTU."  
  
"So? What do you want?" Michelle asked as she sat back up. *Smooth, Michelle, know he knows you're mad at him.*  
  
"Actually, I wanted to apologize." Tony took a deep breath. He couldn't blame her for being angry.  
  
"And?"  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"Well, you've said it. I have work to do." Michelle threw his words back in his face.  
  
"Listen, Michelle. I know I've been an asshole in the past three weeks, but I want you to know that I really do like you. I've kept away because I'm...well..."  
  
"Just trying to make me feel better about myself for taking advantage of you?"  
  
"Michelle. When I told you I wasn't sorry about kissing you, I meant it."  
  
"I'm not so sure."  
  
"Think back," Tony sighed. "You started the kiss, yes. But I finished it."  
  
Michelle was silent.  
  
"Can we talk?" Tony held his breath.  
  
"Be at my place in twenty minutes."  
  
Tony smiled on his end of the line. "Okay."  
  
Michelle's hands shook as she put her phone back on the nightstand. Tony was going to be there in twenty minutes! She had to clean up.  
  
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A little under two hours later, Tony was getting ready to leave Michelle's house so they could both take care of some things and get cleaned up. Tony smiled to himself. Michelle wasn't really too upset. Just hurt. Once they had talked, she forgave him. *Rather wholeheartedly* Tony thought, looking at her messy hair and swollen lips.   
  
"I'll pick you up at seven?" Tony grinned at her.  
  
Michelle looked at him from her passion-darkened eyes and nodded. She followed him to the front door and he pulled her to him for one last kiss; and another; and another. Several minutes and a few extra `last' kisses later, Tony was on his way home.  
  
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	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Ok, this is going to be continued (I hope). But I am way stuck on the plot right now. Give me reviews...but I am not averse to plot ideas either. Thanks!  
  
Three Weeks Later  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Jack and Kate were walking slowly down the street. They had had brunch with Kim and Nikki and were enjoying some time to themselves. Jack glanced down to their hands, fingers intertwined. Kim looked at Jack and smiled. Leaning over, she brushed her lips across his cheek. Grinning at one another, they continued to walk down the street.  
  
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Kim and Nikki decided to go shopping. They planned on going out again that night, from dinner until dawn if need be. Kim encouraged her dad to like Kate and she was really happy for him, but she did NOT want to walk in on something other than a few kisses. And, if she was any good at reading faces, she was very glad that she had walked into the living room when she had that morning and not a few seconds later. Nikki was great. She had always looked up to Terri as a surrogate mother and was just as grieved by her death as a family member. Bur she seemed to understand that Jack needed to be happy again and that Kate made him happier than he had been even before Terri had been killed.  
  
The two girls showered and changed while Jack and Kate were out taking a walk. Kim was glad her dad had someone who would help her take care of him. The doctors would probably have had a fit if they knew how scarcely Jack heeded their words. Between their wardrobes, Nikki and Kim found outfits that suited each perfectly. Nikki's red peasant top and short denim skirt showed off her dark brown hair and long legs to perfection. Kim wore a blue tube top with a jean jacket and a pair of tan capris. Once they were dressed with hair and makeup done perfectly, they left a note for Jack and Kate and headed out to have some fun.  
  
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The first thing Jack saw when he and Kate arrived back at his apartment was the note Kim had left for him. He knew better than to voice his concerns for her safety to her face, but he did worry about her. Even though she was technically an adult, capable of caring for herself. Kate understood his thoughts and wrapped her arms around his waist, pillowing her head on his shoulder. Jack smiled and turned his head so that he could smell her hair. She tilted her head so that she had better access to his lips and claimed them with her own. Jack tangled his hands in her hair and continued to kiss her back as he moved backwards toward the couch. He fell onto the couch, pulling her on top of him. Their hands and lips continued to move vigorously, exploring one another's mouth and body. When Jack reached up and unbuttoned the first two buttons on Kate's shirt, she stood and pulled him to the bedroom. The rest of the night was a tangle of bodies and souls colliding and merging. As Kate drifted off to sleep, she briefly thought that she had never been so happy, nor felt so safe.  
  
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To be continued... 


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hey guys. Thanks for all the support. I really struggled with the following chapters. I was blocked for a long time and finally wrote chapters 7-10 in about an hour and a half stretch one Thursday night. I wasn't going to make such a huge jump forward in time, but the more I thought about my characters, the more I came to understand that this was how I needed to end it. Besides, I've always been hugely obsessed with why Jack and Kate have nothing in season three (and what happened between Jack and Claudia). ;-p Thanks again for the patience and support. You have made this fic worth writing.  
  
-Beth  
  
Three Weeks Later  
  
Chapter 7  
  
*This takes place two years from Chapter 6*  
  
Jack knew as he stood at the altar to the right of Tony Almeida that he had made the right decision. He knew it would be hard, but he was faced with the decision between the right that would tear him apart and sacrifice the trust of the woman he loved; or the lies that would eventually do the same. Even if they kept the truth from exposure for a short while. His eyes betrayed him and he caught himself searching the crowded church for Kate's blonde hair and intoxicating blue eyes. His nostrils flared as he sucked in air through his nose. *god, it's like I can smell her* A little under an hour later, the ceremony was over and the bridal party had finished pictures. Jack drove to the reception, fighting with his emotions. He could hear the romantic strains of a love song floating through the air before he opened the door. When he stepped inside and saw Tony leading Michelle onto the dance floor, oblivious to all but the look of complete and utter love and devotion written in every feature of her face. Jack's mouth got drier by the second. He made his way as nonchalantly as possible to the bar at the back of the room. He ordered a double scotch and smirked appreciatively as the liquid left a scorching path through his being. *Kind of like me* he thought self-deprecatingly. *I ruin everything I come in contact with.* He looked at the tumbler in his hand and thought back to that terrible day. He had just returned from CTU where he had received the orders from Tony. Tony seemed more distressed by the news than Jack had been. He had missed the undercover work, the testing of his skills, the flirting with death that had made up his work for CTU before Teri had died. A shudder went down his spine and he knew that Teri was no longer an excuse for him to hide behind. He had faced his feelings for Kate and given her what he was able to give of his heart. She had been completely patient. She waited for him to initiate their relationship, had waited for him to move past his grief at what he believed was his part in Teri's death, had waited for him to move revenge on Nina from the number one goal in his life. She encouraged him to stay in prime physical shape and be ready if and when the time came that he would have to repeat the events of that awful day. But covert operations she could not handle. He knew that, even if she refused to see it. His secret missions were what had ultimately torn his relationship with Teri apart.   
  
He had spoken to Kim first. Kim was hurt; more by the fact that her father was once again sacrificing himself and his own personal happiness to answer the call of duty. She knew he couldn't ignore it, that the call was as dear and life-giving to him as the blood that flowed in his veins. So she told him that the decision was up to him, even though she knew his mind was already made up.  
  
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Kim watched her father from across the room. She was taking a break after dancing with CTU's newest agent, Chase Edmunds. Chase was cute, and really nice, but she was preoccupied by the worried look on her father's face and by the look of sheer pain so evident on his features. She knew that breaking up with Kate was the second hardest thing her father had ever had to do. Second only to holding his dead wife in his arms, holding himself responsible for her death, and letting go of all the anger and hatred for himself. Kim felt a presence by her side and knew it was Chase. She wasn't sure yet if he was interested in her because he liked her or if he was using her as an excuse to get close to her father. She smiled silently. It had happened enough. She had a feeling that Chase was different from the snot-nosed punks who had simply tried to get in good with her so she would in turn recommend them for field duty with her father. She smiled again. If her dad had a clue what her relationships *if I can call them actual relationships* were like with those guys, he would have Tony fire them before killing them. *Dad is still really protective of me. The fact that I'm a grown woman hasn't changed that about him.*  
  
"Penny for your thoughts?" Chase was very close, Kim could smell his aftershave and she realized she was heavily attracted to him.  
  
"I was thinking about how soon I could get my dad out of here and not attract too much attention." Kim stated candidly.  
  
"He looks like he's really torn up about something." Chase sat easily in the chair next to her, his catlike ease, even in a suit, started a warmth in the pit of her stomach that spread lower.  
  
"Um, yeah…I guess…" Kim trailed off, cursing herself for her lack of attention.  
  
Chase just smiled at her, his blue eyes sparkling. "Girl problems?"  
  
"Sort of." Kim looked at him, all of her earlier doubts rushing forward. He was the first agent whom she was actually attracted to. What if…?  
  
Chase noticed the clouded look in her eyes and changed the subject. "I guess you get tired of agents asking about your dad, huh?"  
  
Kim just grinned, "You might say that."  
  
"Sorry. I've seen you with those other bastards and I know they must drive you crazy with their insane hero-worship of your father."  
  
Kim looked at Chase with undisguised admiration. Maybe he was for real after all!  
  
"I think you worry about him to much, Kim." The way he drawled her name made her tremble, the warmth in her body rising several degrees.  
  
"You do?" She almost whispered  
  
"He knows how to care for himself. I think he's one of those guys who will back off if you try to hold him too tightly."  
  
Kim smiled up at him, covering her surprise at his wise words with a flirtatious remark. "So do you want to leave?"  
  
Chase's eyes darkened and his smile was taut. She could sense, rather than see, the way his shoulders tensed under the perfect lines of his suit jacket. Then, in an instant, the tension was gone and his eyes joined his mouth in a friendly smile as he asked, "you want to come over to my place for a drink?"  
  
Kim hesitated for a split second, but he noticed. "Nothing serious, unless it's what you want," he trailed off and when he spoke again, his voice was so low, she had to incline her head towards him to hear. "I just want to get to know you. Away from your father and all of CTU."  
  
Kim reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing it briefly and letting go. The brief contact scorched her skin, leaving her feeling as if her hand was forever branded by his.  
  
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	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Quick note: Since I forgot to mention it in the beginning (this is my first fanfic…forgive me) I do not own 24 or any of the characters therein. *Although Chase would be a fun one to own….yummy* ;-p  
  
Three Weeks Later  
  
Chapter 8  
  
Kim walked over to her father, breaking him out of his solitary reverie long enough to tell him she was leaving and, if she wasn't home, not to wait up for her. Then she fled into the parking lot where Chase was waiting next to his truck. She smiled shyly and slid into the passenger seat as he held the door for her. She glanced at him as he drove. Both were content to remain silent and contemplate what led them to where they are. Chase knows that if the night ends the way he wants it to, he can kiss any chance of Jack's approval goodbye. But, as he considered the consequences, he knew he wanted tonight to end tomorrow morning. He knew that if he bailed out know, Kim would shove him into a box among the other "Jack Bauer worshippers" she had gone out with time and again. He liked her. He had noticed her the first time he had seen her walk into CTU, laughing with her brunette friend over a comment that the agent she had been seeing at the time had made. They proceeded to rib Michelle about her engagement to Tony and vice versa, like they had known one another for a lifetime. Little had he known at the time that the events of that day were enough to fill a lifetime and through that adversity, their little family was formed. He watched her while she was there, noticing that when all eyes were directed elsewhere, her eyes held a haunted look that chilled him to his soul. Then there was the time she and her friend, Nikki, had gotten into trouble after a bar they were at was raided for drugs. She had called Tony, who sent Chase to pick her up from the local precinct. She looked like sex on heels. She wore a black skirt that hugged her figure from waist to six inches above her knees, with considerable slits on either side. She had on black, thigh-high stiletto boots with rhinestones around the top, and her hair was worn in a simple ponytail with a few tendrils escaping around her ears. Her makeup was minimal, glitter brushed at the outside edges of her eyes, giving her a faerie-like appearance. But what had been so firmly imprinted in Chase's memory was her top. It was the color of her eyes and was more like a thin piece of material than a top at all. From the front, it looked like a tube top that fitted tightly at the bust and more loosely around the stomach, with a slit reaching from the bottom of the shirt to just under her breasts, revealing a piercing in her naval. When she turned her back to him, he saw that the only thing holding her shirt to her body was a strap of material that tied across her upper back. He had also noticed the tribal tattoo that was displayed in the hollow of her back, just above her skirt. Chase had taken her arm and led her to his waiting truck. He cursed himself the moment they stepped outside. It had been unusually cold that night. He remembered offering her his jacket, and she refused it. He had only allowed himself to really look at her when she was seated next to him in his truck. She held her head high when she turned to look at him. The sheer hunger in her eyes and the sight of her nipples straining against the material of that shirt sent the blood rushing from his head. He had nearly had to physically restrain himself to keep from mauling her right there in his truck. After that night, he had paid closer attention when the guys around CTU started talking about her. And he hadn't liked what he heard. Most of the guys thought they could use Kim as a key to her father's good will. He hurt for her. Always looking for a chance to get close to her, Tony and Michelle's wedding had been an opportunity like he had never imagined.   
  
He heard Kim asking him a question and returned to the present.  
  
"Do you mind if we stop by my house so I can change clothes? I also need to get my bag so I can go to Nikki's tonight."  
  
"Sure" he kept his voice even, hoping upon hope that Nikki's would be the last place she would be thinking about going tonight.   
  
Chase pulled up in front of Jack's apartment and walked with Kim to the door. She motioned for him to follow her and he followed her into the apartment and down the hall to her room. Blushing, he realized his mistake and turned to go to the living room. Kim smiled at him. "Chase, you can wait in the living room, okay? There's coke in the 'fridge if you want one." He retreated to the living room and waited for the minutes to tick by like hours.  
  
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Kim remembered the way Chase had looked at her the night he picked her up from jail. She had been forever getting into trouble back then, while her dad was working through his issues with Kate by his side and Kim had had to rely on her own strength to get through the pain. She reached for the outfit she hadn't worn since that night. After zipping the boots and cramming some pajamas, sweats and shoes for jogging, and a toothbrush in a small duffel bag, she shrugged on her overcoat and walked into the living room.  
  
"Ready?" she asked Chase as he nearly vaulted from the couch where he had been sitting rigidly.  
  
She smiled. "Sorry, I just don't want to spend a lot of time here at the moment. Dad has some stuff he needs to work through and I think it's better if I step out of the way."  
  
"No problem. You know, if you ever need anything…" he trailed off.  
  
"I always call Tony and Michelle." Kim said without thinking. Noticing the crestfallen look on his face, she amended quickly. "But since they'll be gone for a while, I'll give you a call." She reached out and grabbed his hand. This time, she did not let go until they had reached the truck and were on their way to his house.  
  
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A/N: You know the drill…R&R 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
  
Kim followed Chase meekly into the condo, closing the door gently behind her. She knew why she was here; the drink was just a formality, an excuse. She looked up at Chase and slid her hand against the flat planes of his stomach. Stepping closer, she brushed her lips across his. He raised his hand to the side of her face and gazed into her eyes. Just when she was about to turn away from the intense emotion she saw there, he brought his lips down on hers. He kissed her hungrily, then pulled away and smiled at her, all intensity gone from his demeanor. She wondered briefly how he shifted so easily from one attitude to another before putting it down to an occupational hazard and asking where to hang her overcoat. Chase directed her to the spare bedroom/office upstairs which was actually not much of either. She placed her jacket over the only chair in the room, glancing around at the desk and computer surrounded by boxes and baskets of belongings. Walking back down into the living room area, she found Chase waiting for her. He asked her what she wanted to drink.  
"Just a beer, thanks." Kim smiled. As she unzipped her boots and placed them near the front door. "I'm actually not much of a drinker, contrary to popular belief." It was then that Chase recognized the outfit she was wearing. His blue eyes went almost black and she could hear his breath coming in short gasps. "Better yet," Kim pretended not to notice the change, "I would love a cup of coffee." "S-Sure." Chase nearly fled into the kitchen.  
Kim waited for a few seconds before following him. He managed to brew the coffee and follow along with Kim's small talk, keeping himself under control. He dragged out every lesson in self-control he had learned in the military and government training to hold himself in check.  
As soon as they had their coffee, they sat on the couch, leaving several inches between one another. Pretty soon, they ran out of insignificant topics and sat in silence. Less than three minutes had passed by and Kim was beginning to wonder if coming to his place had been a mistake, when she heard a noise. It startled her and she jumped, spilling coffee down the front of Chase's shirt in the process.  
"Shit!" Chase jumped up and began removing his shirt.  
Kim helped him with the buttons and he was soon he was free of the scorching liquid. Kim gasped when she saw his naked chest. His abs and chest were perfectly sculpted. Unable to control the urging inside of her, Kim reached out and traced the red mark the coffee had left on his torso. The feel of his skin sent warmth coursing through her veins and she could feel the aching in her core. It was then that she noticed scars peppering his chest. Grazing her fingers across each one, she followed her hands with her lips, placing butterfly kisses on each scar. Finally, she lightly trailed her tongue across the burn mark from the coffee. Chase clenched his fists and kept his hands at his sides until he felt her tongue move across his nipple. With a growl in his throat, he reached for her and pulled her mouth to his. He wrapped one arm around her waist and tangled the other hand in her hair as their tongues danced around one another and the kiss became more intense by every passing second. He could feel her breasts brushing against his chest through the material of that top and he knew his arousal was more than obvious to her. She pulled his bottom lip between her own before they parted for air. She looked up at him and smiled seductively. Grabbing onto the waistband of his slacks, she pulled him towards the stairs. When they reached his bedroom, he pulled her into another deep, searching kiss that left them both breathless and wanting more. Kim pulled him deeper into the room, pushing him into a sitting position on the bed. Straddling his legs, she wrapped her arms around his neck and relished the feeling of his lips on hers, on her neck, her shoulder, oh shit! she felt her top come undone and fall into her lap. She was almost shocked by the impish grin on Chase's face when she looked at him. Chase knew that look; she was worried that she was getting in too deep. But he didn't expect the words that followed the look. "No strings?" she asked.  
"What?" he mumbled, more concerned with a study of her anatomy.  
"No strings. This is just a friendly fuck, right? You aren't going to offer to marry me or anything? I want to know that I can leave tomorrow morning and never talk to you again and you won't go psycho on me." he knew the fear in her voice; he wanted to hold her and make it go away. He also knew that she would run from that kind of comfort. So he accepted the night on her terms, knowing that even if she left him tomorrow, he would have one night full of memories and sensations.  
  
Hey guys…I am planning on adding to this story. I will post a teaser soon. ) 


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Here we are at the end. It's been a great ride, though. Thank you all for the encouragement and support your kind words have provided. I thrive on your approval. Hopefully, I will find it in my to someday attempt something much larger. For now, I am happy at the minor success of this work of fiction. If you would ever like to hear more from me, just let me know. Thank you all!!! One last time…READ AND REVIEW!!!  
  
Three Weeks Later  
  
Chapter 10  
  
Jack knew Kim had left with Chase. He just didn't think anything of it. Kim had left him a note on the door saying that she had gone to Nikki's and would be home the next day.   
  
Immediately following the wedding reception, Jack had found himself at Kate's door. She looked haunted when she let him in. She had known what he was there for and still broke down when he turned to leave. *Jack, you are a heartless bastard* he told himself for the hundredth time that night. But he couldn't risk hurting her worse in the future. He had had to let her go and it had been for the best. Even though it broke his heart to break hers, he knew he couldn't give up his place at CTU. It was his true love and everything else was secondary. Teri had known but couldn't accept it; Kate refused to even believe it. It seemed that Kim was the only person in his life who both accepted it and lived with it. *Hell, she even manages to love me in spite of it.* Switching the light off in the living room and making his way down the hall to his room, Jack reminds himself that no matter what happens in his life, his true love will always be there to turn to, to rely upon. And he realized that everything will be okay.  
  
The End 


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